Lots of readers ask us questions in our Messenger chat pane.  Here we show recent answers.  A lot of them can be found in our blog post archive which goes back to 2007 – do use the search pane above to research answers yourself.

Quick Release rigger clips

I have a pair of clip on riggers, but the clips have been removed. Please, what are the clips called and where might I order replacements? (I am in NZ)

How frustrating for you.  Read the Buyers Guide to Quick Release Rowing Rigger Fittings  It mentions several manufacturers for these products – I’m pretty sure the clips are not inter-changeable between different manufacturers so you will need to know who made the riggers.  But Rigtec are in NZ and Burton water sports in Oz so likely one of those.

Heel speed at the catch

How quickly should heels be in contact with footstretcher at the catch, and does it affect shape of power curves in a crew boat if heels are down at different times?

the speed of heel push down at the catch is determined by ankle flexibility. This can vary between athletes a lot. Read this about how to improve ankle flexibility. I don’t know how much it affects the shape of the power curves – that would need testing by experts in a lab. My guess is that it doesn’t affect it a lot because you can drive a lot of pressure through the balls of your feet. And there are many different ways to make a force curve not just with your heels  – probably other things worth training in the crew before you worry about this detail.

Coxswains race plan printout

How do I cox a 4 without wetting my race plan?

Laminate it. Encapsulate in heat sealed plastic. (Or a new ziplock clear plastic bag.) Then tape it around your thigh so you can read it sitting down! Write in big font helps too.  And if you are in a front loader four, can you tape it to the lip of the bow canvas hanging down into your cockpit?  You may need to write long lines and print in landscape format!
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